An ultrasound imaging apparatus has included a transducer array that transmits an ultrasound beam into an examination field of view. As the beam traverses structure (e.g., an object or subject, an instrument, etc.) in the field of view, sub-portions of the beam are attenuated, scattered, and/or reflected off the structure, with some of the reflections (echoes) traversing back towards the transducer array. The transducer array receives and processes the echoes, and generates one or more images of the subject or object and/or instrument.
Ultrasound imaging has been used to guide biopsy procedures. Ultrasound imaging-guided biopsy procedures have been performed with a biopsy needle attached to the ultrasound probe (or otherwise guided, such as free-hand) so that the tip of the biopsy needle is in the imaging field of view (FOV). The ultrasound imaging apparatus is used to generate images of the field of view and the needle, and the images are used by the operator to move the needle to the tissue of interest so that a tissue sample(s) can be taken at a desired location(s) of the tissue of interest and acquire the sample.
Once the biopsy is finished, the needle is removed. The images, if saved, can later be used to visualize needle entry, movement of the needle to the tissue of interest, the needle tip at the tissue of interest, and/or removal of the needle. However, such information does not indicate the moment in time at which a biopsy was performed. As such, it may not be clear when and where the biopsy was actually performed. Furthermore, there is no reference point which can be used to guide and/or compare a subsequent biopsy of the same tissue of interest.